Stannard

Located in Northern Caledonia County, Stannard is bordered by Greensboro, Hardwick, Walden, Sheffield, Wheelock and Danville. The western portion of the town is the most inhabited, separated from the eastern portion by mountainous terrain. A steam saw mill was constructed on a remote pond in 1856 by T.G. Bronson. At the time, nearly 1 million feet of lumber was manufactured at the mill annually and sent to St. Johnsbury where it was used by E&T Fairbanks. Steammill Brook originates in Stannard Pond and flows south. Stannard was chartered on Aug. 19, 1867, having previously been known as Goshen Gore Number 1.

According to Esther Munroe Swift’s Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History, the town of Goshen Gore Number 1 was renamed by the Vermont General Assembly in honor of the American Civil War Hero General George Stannard following calls to do so by residents. Born in Georgia, Vt., Stannard moved to Saint Albans where he was called into battle in 1861 along with the rest of the Vermont Regiment. He was a 41 year-old lieutenant colonel and was promoted rapidly to a regimental command, which he held at Gettysburg. Vermont legislative journals show that in 1865 the state commended General Stannard for his “skill and bravery.” Heeding the pleas of its residents, the legislature decided to give what had been known as Goshen Gore Number 1 independent status as a town named in the general’s honor. Stannard is the only town in the state to have derived its name from the Civil War.

Stannard is accessible from the west through Greensboro and from Danville to the east.